The Club
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History of the Gentlemen of the Blue Goose

The Blue Goose have been playing as the highest rugby club in the USA (and most probably the world!) at 9600ft above sea level since the founding fathers Ron Rice and Hulio got fed up of driving to Vail and formed a club in Breckenridge. This was in December of 1974 that they organised a match between the Breckenridge contingent vs. Vail in the snow. This was the first incarnation of the St. Valentine's Massacre. 34 years later, the tournament has grown into a player and fan favourite.

The boys needed a name for the fledgling Rugby club. There already were the Gentlemen of Aspen, and just plain Vail, so as bright ideas go, they decided to name the club after the last active house of ill repute in Summit County, the Blue Goose. The moniker "Gentlemen" was added to give the name some class. The Gentlemen of the Blue Goose was born.

Coaches

Pete Clarke - Pete has accumulated significant experience whilst playing and coaching in England, Wales, New Zealand, Germany and the US during the last 20 years. He combines his rugby coaching qualifications with a 1st class sports science degree from UWIC in the UK with ACSM personal training qualifications and extensive experience playing both Rugby Union and Rugby league at representative levels.

Peter Shafroth - A US rugby player and coach for 30+ years, Pete gained representative honours in Colorado and played super league rugby for the Denver Barbarians. A tough nosed prop forward, he has vast experience in the dark arts of the scrum and contact areas. Pete has coached both in the US and in the UK from from young kids to mens teams.

Russ Backhouse - Originally from the UK where he played rugby in the North of England, Russ has spent the last 20 years playing for the Goose and has become somewhat of a legend at the club both for his fitness, fearlessness and can-do attitude. He has decided it is time to start passing on those skills and leadership qualities onto the next generation of goose players, while maybe still lacing up a pair of boots once in a while himself.

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Officers

Pete Clarke President (1-970-376-3831) president@breckenridgerugby.org	John Terrill Vice President (1-970-406-0646) vp@breckenridgerugby.org	Peter Shafroth Treasurer (1-970-333-4680) treasurer@breckenridgerugby.org
Dan McCrerey Match Secretary (1-970-904-5075) match@breckenridgerugby.org	John Wood Social Secretary (1-970-389-0849) social@breckenridgerugby.org	Brain "Slash" Lefrontiere Media Secretary (1-970-333-1389) media@breckenridgerugby.org

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